


Responsibility

by unwindmyself



Series: curious shapes shift in the dark [54]
Category: True Blood
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Female Friendship, Fix-It, Gen, Sisters, Team Dynamics, Vampire Family, agency and choices!
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-09
Updated: 2014-08-09
Packaged: 2018-02-12 10:39:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,219
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2106642
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/unwindmyself/pseuds/unwindmyself
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Last-minute plans and arrangements and discussions before the big battle.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Responsibility

**Author's Note:**

> Part two, "Nothing Ordinary."

A good hour before sunset, the doorbell rings and the girls all barrel downstairs, rushing to be the one to answer it and giggling nervously.

But it’s Holly that beats them to it, appearing from around the corner and shooting them a definite _look_ as she goes for the door and they all stop in their tracks, lined up on the stairs like they’re about to start singing _The Sound of Music_ or something.  “Hey, Sleeping Beauties,” she greets.  “Glad to see that something will rouse you from your slumber.”

“We were just resting up,” Danika says.  “Before the big fight.”

“’Course,” Holly agrees before turning back to the door and opening it up.

And immediately being tackle-hugged by little Emma Garza.

“Well, good evening to you too, Miss Emma,” Holly chuckles before glancing up at the girl’s mother.  “Hey, Luna.”

“Hey, Holly,” Luna returns, nodding at the others as well.  “Hey, girls.”

“Hi, Luna,” Adilyn and Braelyn and Charlaine and Danika chorus, giving identical waves.

 

* * *

 

“You’re up early,” Eric observes, rolling over in bed and finding Nora’s side already empty.

“As are you,” Nora mutters. She’s sat in the armchair tugging on the laces of her boots, but she’s doing that so aggressively that it’s clear she’s thinking seriously about something or another.

“Worrying again?” he asks.

“Trying to plan,” she amends. “I have to talk to the girl.”

“Which girl?”

“The redh – Jessica. I need to talk to Jessica.”

 

* * *

 

“Arlene said it was all right if Emma crashed here again,” Luna continues, making it sound half a question.  (She’s still not sure how exactly the hierarchy of the Bellefleur-Fowler-Cleary household works, how much the adults share with each other, so it’s better safe than sorry.)

“Of course it is!” Arlene exclaims, appearing from the back room with her son’s basketball under her arm.  “We’re always happy to have her.”

“Hi, Mrs. Bellefleur,” Emma greets, smiling politely and giving half a curtsy that all the adults try not to smirk at.  She’s nothing if not a mannered child.  “Is Lisa here?”

“She’s up in her room playin’ some sorta fashion internet game,” Arlene says.  “You’re welcome to go up and join her.”

Emma turns back to her mom, all wide hopeful eyes.  (The two of them already had their serious talk in the car, so that’s out of the way, at least.)  “Mommy?”

Luna drops to kneeling and gives her daughter a hug, voice all warm and soothing.  “Go have fun,” she urges.  “We’ll be back before the night is over, I promise.”

Emma gives Luna a kiss on the cheek.  “Love you, Mommy,” she murmurs before turning to skip up the stairs, tell the girls “You all look pretty,” and disappear into Lisa’s bedroom.

 

* * *

 

“It’s something I found in the vampire Bible,” Nora says softly.

“Something you found in the vampire Bible that affects Jessica,” Eric clarifies, rising from the bed and using a voice that sounds like he almost can’t believe what she’s leading to.

“Well, not Jessica _specifically_ ,” she shrugs. “What it said was, we’d been mistranslating it, was ‘the _progeny_ will lead Lilith to the sun.’ I assume it was referring to Lilith’s true progeny, but whoever and whatever Warlow is and however he pertains to the Stackhouses, he hasn’t shown up here yet, so…”

“You think it could apply to her, then?” he asks, frowning at her as he pulls his pants on.

“I think it’s an option,” she corrects. “If their bond is still strong enough that he was able to exert some sort of pull on her with his deific superpowers, it might be strong enough that despite said deific superpowers she would be able to kill him. Assuming the more metaphoric translation of leading to the sun, of course.”

“She’s still a baby, practically,” he says.

“That’s why I need to talk to her,” Nora rolls her eyes.

 

* * *

 

 

“We’ve got it under control here,” Holly says.  “I’ve got a protection spell up around the house, that’ll stop just about any baddie that tries to get close.”

“And Terry just upgraded our security system,” Arlene adds.  “Silver misters and everything.”

Luna smiles shakily.  “Thanks,” she murmurs, stepping forward to give each woman the briefest of hugs.  “I know this isn’t your fight, so it’s good of you to get involved even a little bit.”

“Hey, evil vampires and witches have a long history of disagreeing with each other,” Holly points out.

“And now that we got four fairy girls in our family, of course it’s our fight too,” Arlene declares, smiling as said fairy girls wander down and hover behind the adults just waiting to be prompted.

“Still, thanks,” Luna says.  “You four ready to go?”

“Yeah-huh,” Charlaine agrees.  “Can we say bye to our dad first?”

“I’ll go get him,” Holly says, disappearing into the back in pursuit and returning with him half a minute later.

“Bye, Daddy,” the girls chorus.

“Be safe,” Andy says gruffly before moving to hug each of them and kiss their foreheads in turn.

To Adilyn he says, “Be responsible.”

To Braelyn he says, “Be aware.”

To Charlaine he says, “Be careful.”

To Danika he says, “Be strong. And all those go for all of you.”

“We know,” Braelyn says.

 

* * *

 

When Jessica opens the door to her room, Nora’s standing there with a hand still in a fist from knocking and the other twisting the charm of her necklace around. “Hey,” the younger woman says, sounding befuddled.

“Hey,” Nora echoes. “There’s something we need to discuss.”

“Go for it,” Jessica murmurs.

“Are you prepared to kill your Maker?” Nora asks bluntly.

“That’s what we’re goin’ to do tonight,” Jessica says, like it’s obvious.

“I mean – are you prepared to do it yourself,” Nora clarifies. “You personally, putting the stake through his heart.”

“I’m not that strong,” Jessica points out. “I mean, shouldn’t it be you or Eric or somethin’, you’ve got centuries on him if you don’t count all this god shit.”

“It’s in the Bible, or it might be,” Nora murmurs. “Like a sort of primer on what to do to get rid of him. The progeny will lead Lilith to the sun.”

“Lilith,” Jessica repeats. “Not Bill.”

“You’re the closest we’ve got,” Nora says. “You –”

The door swings open once more and in come the other women, all looking like they mean business. “I had an idea,” Willa says. “’Cause what Sheriff Andy was sayin’ about how we oughta bodyguard the girls, could we take a drop of their blood or whatever? For the bond thing.”

It’s a rather vague explanation, but that’s not why Nora wrinkles her nose at it. It’s not like _she_ would have to take any, given that she didn’t give any of hers last night, so it’s not a horrible idea, probably, but – still. It’s cause for concern.

“Will you be smart about it?” she asks all faintly.

“Smart as can be,” Pam promises with a smirk.

“Just a drop,” Tara promises, expecting she knows the reasons for her grandaunt’s hesitation.

“It’s just that he wanted us lookin’ out for them, and if we’d traded we could do that, right?” Willa clarifies.

“Talk to the girls once they’re here,” Nora declares after a moment, still frowning but having to admit it’s not a horrible plan. “It’s their choice.”


End file.
